Gas meter valve and method

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a gas meter valve for use with a gas meter and a method for its use. The gas meter valve comprises a valve inlet, a valve outlet, and a valve body coupled to the valve inlet and the valve outlet. The valve body includes a chamber for communicating gas from the valve inlet to the valve outlet and a valve assembly disposed in the chamber and adapted to prevent the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a first position and permit the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a second position. The gas meter valve further includes an actuating mechanism coupled to the valve assembly for positioning the valve assembly in the first position and the second position, and a port in communication with the chamber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/655,857, entitled Gas Meter Valve and Method, filed Sep. 5, 2003, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/408,828, entitled Gas Meter Outlet Valve and Method, filed Sep. 6, 2002, the entire contents of the above-referenced applications being hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates generally to gas metering and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a gas meter valve and method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Metered gas supply systems are frequently utilized to supply natural gas or other gasses to consumer or commercial structures. These gas systems typically include a supply line for providing a gas supply from a gas utility to the customer's structure, piping for distributing gas within the customer's structure, and a gas meter having an inlet coupled to the supply line and an outlet coupled to the customer piping. The gas meter therefore may be used by the gas utility to meter the supply of gas provided to the customer's structure for billing and other purposes.

[0004] To discontinue gas service, such as to repair leaks or make modifications to the customer's piping, the gas utility typically dispatches a technician to manually shut off the meter supplying gas to the customer's structure. The technician physically turns a shutoff valve that is positioned on the inlet side of the gas meter, which generally is owned and operated by the gas utility. After repairs are made to the customer's piping, a gas utility technician is again dispatched to turn the shutoff valve back on and re-energize the gas meter to restore gas service to the customer's structure.

[0005] There are a number of disadvantages to this conventional practice, including the excessive time and cost incurred by the gas utility when technicians are dispatched to turn off and on the gas meter. Furthermore, the delay incurred while waiting for the technician to arrive often frustrates customers who are looking for their gas service to be restored.

[0006] An additional concern that can arise with such gas supply systems involves the fact that such gas supply systems are closed systems—e.g., the internal portion of the systems are in sealed environments. Therefore, to gain access to the internal portions of the closed system (e.g., for pressure testing or the like), a component portion of the gas supply system is typically removed—e.g., an elbow or piping portion. Furthermore, the addition of an extra component part that could facilitate access can be prohibitive due to increased time, expenses, and negative aesthetics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] From the foregoing it may be appreciated that a need has arisen for a gas meter valve and method. In accordance with the present invention, a gas meter valve and method is provided that substantially eliminates one or more of the disadvantages and problems outlined above.

[0008] According to an aspect of the present invention, a gas meter valve has been provided which comprises a valve inlet, a valve outlet, a valve body, an actuating mechanism, and a port. The valve body is coupled to a valve inlet and a valve outlet. The valve body includes a chamber for communicating gas from the valve inlet to the valve outlet, and a valve assembly disposed at least partially in the chamber. The valve assembly is adapted to prevent the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a first position, and permit the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a second position. The actuating mechanism is operably coupled to the valve assembly and adapted to position the valve assembly in the first position and the second position. The port is coupled to the valve body and is in communication with the chamber.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for providing access to an interior of a gas supply system has been provided which comprises providing a gas meter valve comprising: a valve inlet, a valve outlet, a valve body coupled to the valve inlet and the valve outlet, the valve body including: a chamber for communicating gas from the valve inlet to the valve outlet, and a valve assembly disposed at least partially in the chamber and adapted to: prevent the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a first position, and permit the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a second position, an actuating mechanism operably coupled to the valve assembly and adapted to position the valve assembly in the first position and the second position, a port coupled to the valve body, wherein the port is in communication with the chamber, and the port is operable to provide secondary access to an interior of the valve body; positioning the valve in the first position; and connecting an external device to the port, wherein the external device is capable of accessing an interior of the gas supply system via the port.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, a gas supply system has been provided which comprises a gas meter and a gas meter valve. The gas meter valve comprises a valve inlet, a valve outlet, a valve body, an actuating mechanism, and a port. The valve body is coupled to the valve inlet and the valve outlet. The valve body includes a chamber for communicating gas from the valve inlet to the valve outlet, and a valve assembly disposed at least partially in the chamber. The valve assembly is adapted to prevent the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a first position, and permit the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a second position. The actuating mechanism is operably coupled to the valve assembly and adapted to position the valve assembly in the first position and the second position. The port is coupled to the valve body and is in communication with the chamber. The port is operable to provide access to an interior of the valve body.

[0011] The various embodiments and implementations of the present invention provide a profusion of potential technical advantages and benefits. A technical advantage of the present invention may include the capability to provide access to an interior of a gas supply system.

[0012] Another technical advantage of the present invention may include the capability to provide access to an interior of a gas meter valve.

[0013] Yet another technical advantage of the present invention may include the capability to provide a method of testing the integrity of portions of a gas supply system.

[0014] Other technical advantages may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art after review of the following figures and description, associated herewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts, in which:

[0016]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary gas meter having a gas meter valve provided on an outlet side of the gas meter in accordance with at least one aspect of the present invention;

[0017]FIGS. 2A-6 are side views of various exemplary implementations of the gas meter valve illustrated in FIG. 1 in accordance with at least one aspect of the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 7 is a flow-chart illustrating an exemplary method for shutting off gas to a customer while continuing to supply gas to the gas meter in accordance with at least one aspect of the present invention; and

[0019]FIG. 8-9 are perspective views of another configurations of the gas meter valve, utilizing an access port.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The following description is intended to convey a thorough understanding of the invention by providing a number of specific embodiments and details related to a gas supply system having a gas meter valve and a method for its use. It is understood, however, that the invention is not limited to these specific embodiments and details, which are exemplary only. It is further understood that one possessing ordinary skill in the art, in light of known systems and methods, would appreciate the use of the invention for its intended purposes and benefits in any number of alternative embodiments, depending upon specific design and other needs.

[0021] The term gas, as used herein, may include any of a variety of gasses, including, but not limited to, natural gas, propane, kerosene, and acetylene. Further, the term gas also may incorporate various fluids often supplied by way of a plumbing system that utilizes metering, including, for example, water, oil and gasoline. For ease of illustration, the exemplary gas meter valve and method depicted in FIGS. 1-7 is discussed in the context of a natural gas supply system. However, those skilled in the art may incorporate the gas meter valve disclosed herein in other metered supply systems without departing from the spirit or the scope of the present invention.

[0022] Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary gas supply system incorporating a gas meter 14 and a gas meter valve 10 for controlling the flow of natural gas is illustrated in accordance with at least one aspect of the present invention. The gas meter 14 preferably is used for metering and measuring a quantity of natural gas supplied to a customer and may include any of a variety of gas meters utilized by gas utilities for this purpose. In the illustrated example, the gas meter valve 10 is connected to a meter outlet 12 of the gas meter 14. The gas meter valve 10 is also connected to customer piping 16 used to conduct the supply of gas, such as natural gas, from the gas meter 14 to the customer structure. It will be appreciated that the present invention offers certain advantages when employed on the meter outlet 12 of the gas meter 14, but the gas meter valve 10 may be beneficially employed at a variety of locations. One advantage of installing the gas meter valve 10 on the meter outlet 12 of the gas meter 14 is that the gas meter valve 10 may be utilized to discontinue or interrupt gas service to the customer while maintaining the gas supply to the gas meter, thereby eliminating the need to reenergize the gas meter 14.

[0023] The gas meter valve 10 includes a valve inlet 18 which may include a swivel 20 and a swivel nut 22. The swivel nut 22 may be threaded to engage a threaded portion (not shown) on the meter outlet 12 of the gas meter 14. The gas meter valve 10 further includes a valve outlet 24 adapted to couple to the customer piping 16 by threading, clamping or other means commonly employed and well known in the art. The gas meter valve 10 may be constructed from any suitable material or combination of materials, such as steel, iron, rigid polymeric materials or other materials well known in the art for use in such applications.

[0024] As previously discussed, gas meters typically are provided with piping which may be similar in some installations on both a meter inlet 39 and the meter outlet 12 of the gas meter 14. For simplicity and ease of understanding for the present purposes, the piping on the meter inlet 39 of the gas meter 14 will be described since it is generally is substantially similar to the piping that generally exists on the meter outlet 12. Further, it should be understood that although the gas meter valve 10 preferably is installed on the meter outlet 12 of the gas meter 14, in certain situations it may be more appropriate to install the gas meter valve 10 on the meter inlet 39 of the gas meter 14.

[0025] The piping often includes a riser 40 with an ell or elbow 42 that effects a substantially 90 degree bend in the piping. One advantage of the gas meter valve 10 of the present invention is that it may be installed simply by replacing at least a portion of the riser 40 and elbow 42 that generally exist on the meter outlet 12 of the gas meter 14, as the gas meter valve 10 preferably is adapted to fit in place of the piping frequently used with conventional gas meters without modification or alteration to at least a substantial portion of the customer piping 16 or the piping on the meter inlet 39 of the gas meter 14.

[0026] To effect this convenient and easy installation, the gas meter valve 10 may be configured for installation in piping having conventional dimensions such that the gas meter valve 10 may be utilized in place of the present piping with minimal or no modifications or adaptations to the existing piping. Examples of conventional dimensions for piping include, for example, diameters of one inch (1″), one and a quarter inches (1¼″), one and a half inches (1½″), or two inches (2″).

[0027] According to one aspect of the present invention the gas meter valve 10 may be installed in place of all or part of the riser 40 and elbow 42 on the meter outlet 12 of the gas meter 14. In other aspects, the gas meter valve 10 may include a shortened valve inlet 18 so as that the present invention is used to replace only the elbow 42 portion of the piping on the meter outlet 12 of the gas meter 14.

[0028] It will be appreciated that, while the gas meter valve 10 is illustrated such that the body of the gas meter valve 10 is substantially rounded or oval, the gas meter valve 10 may be provided in a number of different shapes and configurations (e.g., rectangular or tubular) which are within the scope of the present invention. Further, the valve outlet 24 of the gas meter valve 10 preferably is positioned substantially perpendicular to the valve inlet 18 so as to readily adapt to existing piping. Although such configuration of the valve inlet 18 to the valve outlet 24 is preferably described as a right angle (i.e., a 90° angle), in other aspects this relationship may be substantially 90° (e.g., 90°±20°).

[0029] Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, enlarged side views of the gas meter valve 10 are illustrated in accordance with one aspect of the present invention. The gas meter valve 10 includes a valve body 28 defining a chamber 30. The chamber 30 provides an enclosed passage for communicating gas from the valve inlet 18 to the valve outlet 24 (indicated by direction 38). A valve assembly 32 is disposed at least partially within the chamber 30 and operable to interrupt the flow of gas in a closed position (illustrated in FIG. 2A) and to permit the flow of gas in an open position (illustrated in FIG. 2B).

[0030] An actuating mechanism 34 preferably is provided on the exterior of the valve body 28 and is operably coupled to the valve assembly 32 for positioning the valve assembly 32 to selectively turn on and off the supply of gas between the gas meter 14 and the customer piping 16. The direction 38 of gas flow from the valve inlet 18 through the chamber 30 and through the valve outlet 24 may be interrupted by the valve assembly 32 when the actuating mechanism 34 and valve assembly 32 are in the closed position. Conversely, the actuating mechanism 34 and valve assembly 32 may be manually manipulated to the open position to permit the flow of gas through the chamber 30 in the direction 38. The actuating mechanism 34 is coupled to the valve assembly 32 using any of a variety of techniques, such as by welding, the use of a threaded coupling, rods, levers or gears, etc., such that when the actuating mechanism 34 is rotated or actuated, the valve assembly 32 may be positioned for interrupting or promoting the flow of gas through the gas meter valve 10.

[0031] The valve assembly 32 may include any of a variety of suitable valves well known to those of ordinary skill in the art that may be employed for the described purposes. In one aspect, a soft seat valve assembly preferably is implemented as valve assembly 32 due to the nearly complete interruption of gas flow provided by such valves. One exemplary configuration of a soft seat valve assembly is described in U.S. Pat No. 6,196,268 to Steiner et al. In other aspects, however, other well-know valve configurations, such as a ball valve assembly, may be used as appropriate.

[0032]FIG. 2A illustrates the gas meter valve 10 operating in a closed position. As illustrated, the actuating mechanism 34 is positioned so that the corresponding position of the valve assembly 32 interrupts the flow of gas from the chamber 30 to the outlet 24 by, for example, sealing the passage between the chamber 30 and the outlet 24. Conversely, FIG. 2B illustrates the gas meter valve 10 operating in an open position. As illustrated, the actuating mechanism 34 is positioned so that the corresponding position of the valve assembly 32 permits the flow of gas from the chamber 30 to the outlet 24. This may be accomplished by, for example, positioning at least a portion of the valve assembly 32 so that the passage between the chamber 30 and the outlet 24 is at least partially unobstructed.

[0033] It will be appreciated that it maybe advisable to prevent unauthorized individuals from tampering with a position of the actuating mechanism 34 and valve assembly 32 set by a technician or other qualified individual. Accordingly, the valve body 28 may be provided with an opening 44 and the actuating mechanism 34 may be provided with an opening 46 configured so that when the actuating mechanism 34 is rotated to position the valve assembly 32 in the open position the openings 44 and 46 are aligned (as shown in FIG. 2A). Alternatively, the openings 44, 46 may be configured to be aligned when the actuating mechanism 34 is rotated to position the valve assembly 32 in the closed position. A tamper-proofing mechanism 48, such as a lock or tag, then may be placed through the aligned openings 44 and 46 on the gas meter valve 10 to prevent tampering with the set position of the actuating mechanism 34 and valve assembly 32. Other mechanisms of positioning the valve assembly 32 to permit or obstruct the gas flow may be utilized based on the type of the valve assembly 32 using the guidelines provided herein.

[0034] To further prevent tampering, the actuating mechanism 34 may include a keyed receptacle 50 defining an opening in or structure on the actuating mechanism 34 configured such that a special tool (not shown) compatible with the keyed receptacle 50 is required to manipulate the position of the actuating mechanism 34 and, therefore, the position of the valve assembly 32. Although the keyed receptacle 50 is illustrated in FIG. 2 as having an octagonal opening, the keyed receptacle 50 may have any of a variety of shapes, such as an octagonal, triangular, square, hex, philips, star or slotted shape, and preferably is of a non-standard configuration to ensure that a standard toolkit would not have a tool capable of engaging the actuating mechanism 34 for the purposes of operating the gas meter valve 10.

[0035] On advantage of at least one aspect of the gas meter valve 10 is that customers may reinitiate gas service by using an authorized plumber or other authorized individual having a tool compatible with the keyed receptacle 50 without requiring the gas utility to incur the expense and time of sending the utility's technician to re-energize the gas meter. This provides another advantage in that the gas may be more quickly, easily and efficiently provided to the customer once the repairs have been made without the need to wait on the gas utility personnel to return to turn on the gas service and re-energize the meter.

[0036] Referring now to FIG. 3, the gas meter valve 10 is further illustrated in accordance with at least one aspect of the present invention. A sleeve or bushing 54 may be provided to receive a threaded inner surface 56 of the valve outlet 24 of the gas meter valve 10, where the bushing 54 includes a threaded outer surface and threaded inner surface, the threaded outer surface of the bushing 54 to receive the threaded inner surface 56 of the valve outlet and the threaded inner surface of the bushing 54 to receive a threaded outer surface of the customer piping 16. The threaded inner surface 56 may be provided for the largest typical size to fit to the customer piping 16, such as, for example, a two-inch (2″) diameter pipe. In the event the customer piping 16 is of a smaller size and/or of a different thread count/type, in lieu of multiple configurations of the gas meter valve 10, a bushing 56 may be provided in various adaptor sizes to the repair technician to adapt the threaded inner surface 56 to the appropriate size/thread type of the customer piping 16. The valve outlet 24 of the gas meter valve 10 therefore may be provided in one standard size and, by employing the threaded bushing 54, may be adapted to a plurality of customer piping 16 dimensions.

[0037] As noted above, it often is desirable to prevent tampering of the set position of the valve assembly 32. In addition to, or instead of, using the tamper-proofing mechanisms (e.g., the keyed receptacle 50) described herein, a repair technician may put a warning sticker or label 52 on the gas meter valve 10 to indicate the current position of the gas meter valve 10. To illustrate, when a leak is detected in the customer's piping and the gas utility desires to discontinue gas service to the customer piping 16 for safety and other reasons, the gas utility may send a repair technician to shut off the gas meter valve 10. Once the gas has been shut off, the repair technician may then put the warning label 52 on the gas meter valve 10 to indicate that gas service has been interrupted and that only a qualified or authorized individual should operate the gas meter valve 10. The warning label 52 combined with the keyed receptacle 50 are intended to prevent unauthorized individuals from re-initiating gas service to the customer piping until the appropriate repairs have been made.

[0038] Referring now to FIG. 4, an alternate exemplary implementation of the gas meter valve 10 is illustrated. In the illustrated example, the actuating mechanism 34 includes a flange or level manually operable by an individual for easily operating the gas meter valve 10. Further, as illustrated, the gas meter valve 10 may have a substantially rectangular shape and the valve assembly 32 may implement a ball valve configuration. When the flange of the actuating mechanism 34 is rotated in a direction 60 the valve assembly 32, operably coupled to the actuating mechanism 34, is rotated to an open position such that gas may be communicated between the valve inlet 18 and the valve outlet 24. Conversely, when the flange is rotated counter to direction 60, the valve assembly 32 may be rotated to a closed position, thereby preventing the flow of gas between the valve inlet 18 and the valve outlet 24.

[0039] Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, a side view (FIG. 5) and a back view (FIG. 6) of another exemplary configuration of the gas meter valve 10 are illustrated. The actuating mechanism 34 may include a lever provided on a back portion of the valve body 28. The actuating mechanism 34 may be rotated in a direction 62, or in other aspects in a direction 64, to position the valve assembly 32 (configured as a soft seat valve) to achieve a complete (or substantially complete) discontinuation of the communication of gas between the valve inlet 18 and the valve outlet 24 of the gas meter valve 10.

[0040] Referring now to FIG. 7, an exemplary method 100 for shutting off gas to a customer's gas piping while continuing to supply gas to a gas meter without requiring that the gas meter be re-energized is illustrated in accordance with at least one aspect of the present invention. The method 100 initiates at step 102 whereby a gas system substantially similar to the one described in FIG. 1 is provided. The gas system preferably includes the gas meter 14 having the meter inlet 39 and the meter outlet 12 with a piping portion including a riser 40 coupled to the meter outlet 12 and an elbow 42 connected to the other end of the riser 40. In this manner, an inlet of the riser 40 and an outlet of elbow 42 are in a substantially perpendicular relationship. The customer piping 16 is connected to the outlet side of the elbow 42.

[0041] At step 104, a leak in the gas system is detected (or a modification to the system is desired) and a gas system technician is dispatched to remove the elbow 42, and in some aspects the riser 40 as well, from the gas meter 14 and customer piping 16.

[0042] At step 106, a gas meter valve 10, such as described above, is provided. At step 108, the gas meter valve 10 is positioned in place of the removed elbow 42 and riser 40 which were previously removed. The gas meter valve 10 then is connected such that the valve inlet 18 of the gas meter valve 10 is connected to the meter outlet 12 of the gas meter 14, and the valve outlet 24 of the gas meter valve 10 is coupled to the customer piping 16. At step 110, the gas technician operates the actuating mechanism 34 to shut off the gas to the customer piping 16 by placing the actuating mechanism 34 in the closed position.

[0043] According to some aspects, the method 100 may further include placing tamper-proofing indicia, such as the tag 48 and/or the label 52, on the gas meter valve 10 indicating the status of the valve and, in some aspects, may identify those authorized to operate the gas meter valve 10 as well. The method further may include repairing the leak to the customer piping 16 and authorizing repair technicians to reestablish service to the customer. At step 112, the authorized repair technician is dispatched to operate the actuating mechanism 34 with a tool compatible the keyed receptacle 50 (when the keyed receptacle 50 is provided) to reinitiate the flow of gas to the customer piping 16. The method also provides for removing the label 52 and tag 48 from the gas meter valve 10.

[0044]FIGS. 8 and 9 show another configuration of a gas meter valve 100. The gas meter valve 100 of FIGS. 8 and 9 can not only avail itself of the features described in the configurations above with reference to gas meter valve 10, but gas meter valve 100 can also avail itself of other features that will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in of the art after review of the specification herein. For example, the gas meter valve 100 can include, among other features, a valve body 28, a valve inlet 18, a valve outlet 24, an actuating mechanism 34, a keyed receptacle 50, and a swivel nut 22. Gas meter valve 100 in this configuration can additionally include a port 70 with a plug 80 threadingly disposed therein.

[0045] The port 70 can have a bore configuration, generally arranged and designed to allow access to an interior of the gas supply system, which in some configurations can occur without removing portions of the system. The port 70 in this configuration allows access via a coupling of the port 70 to the valve body 28 of the gas meter valve 100—an interior of the port 70 being generally in communication with the chamber (not seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, but generally formed from the valve body 28). Several arrangements for creating ports should become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art—e.g., via welding or the like. Additionally, the interior details of the port 70 can include any features now known or later developed.

[0046] While the port 70 has been shown in a specific configuration and located at a specific position, it should be understood that the port 70 can take on a variety of different configurations and can be positioned in a variety of different locations. For example, the port 70 can be arranged and designed with different shapes, sizes, configurations and angles of entry to allow any of a variety of different external devices to connect thereto—some of which will be describe below. Additionally, the port 70 can be located at different locations (e.g., the edges of the valve body 28 or on the side of the valve body 28). Furthermore, the port 70 in some configurations can be a separate piece coupled (e.g., via threading)to either the valve outlet 24 of the valve body 28 or the valve inlet 18 of the valve body 28 —the remaining portion of the gas supply system in some configurations coupling to the separate piece of the port 70 rather than the valve outlet 24 or valve inlet 18.

[0047] It will generally be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that access through the port 70 can facilitate a variety of tasks and/or activities—e.g., including, but not limited to, pressure testing an integrity of a portion of the gas supply system or providing a bypass gas supply through the port 70 via use of a tank or other source of gas supply. Other uses should become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. It will be further appreciated that in some configurations, the port 70 allows such tasks without any pipes, elbows, system components or the like being removed.

[0048] As an example of one of the above uses, intended for illustrative purposes only, the gas meter valve 100 can be placed on the meter outlet 12 of a gas meter 14 (FIG. 1). The gas meter valve 100 can then be moved to a closed position—e.g., turning the actuating mechanism 34. A pressure testing device can then be placed on the port 70 to gain access to the chamber—in this illustration, the port 70 and the chamber being in communication with the valve outlet 24 when the gas meter valve 100 is in the closed position. The pressure testing device can then supply pressure through port 70 and through the valve outlet 24 to the remaining portion of the gas supply system—that is, from the valve outlet 24 to appliances or the like within a customer's structure, house, or the like—to test the integrity of the system (e.g., by measuring a potential drop of pressure). A particularly useful testing system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,486, incorporated by reference herein for all purposes, which discloses a standup pressure testing device and among several configurations, a hand pump that can be utilized to provide pressure.

[0049] In other configurations, the port 70 can be in communication with the valve inlet 18 when the gas meter valve 100 is in the closed position—e.g., when the gas meter valve 100 is coupled directly or indirectly to a meter inlet 39 (FIG. 1). It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a variety of other configurations can additionally be utilized.

[0050] The plug 80, which in a preferred configuration is a quarter-inch plug, is generally arranged and designed to selectively allow access to an interior of the port 70. For example, the plug 80 can be threadingly positioned in and removed from the port 70. In addition to or as an alternative to the plug 80, the port 70 can also include a variety of different devices (e.g., spring loaded device or like), which limit access to the chamber from the port 70 absent pressure, a device or the like being inserted therethrough. Such devices, for example, only allow access upon the pressure, the device, or the like being inserted into the port 70.

[0051] It can be seen with the above description that the gas meter valve 100—e.g., when placed on a meter outlet 12 (FIG. 1)—can be used to turn off the gas while allowing the gas meter 14 to remain energized and to test the pressure integrity of the system from the valve outlet 24 to the customer appliances—all without removing (save the possibility of the plug 70) any pipes, elbows, system components, or the like.

[0052] It can additionally be seen that a plurality of gas meter valves 10 and/or gas meter valves 100 can be utilized together. For example, a gas meter valve 10 can be placed on the meter inlet 39 and a gas meter valve 100 cab be placed on the meter outlet 12. The former (gas meter valve 10) can shut off flow to the gas meter 14 while the latter (gas meter valve 100) can be used to supply gas from another source through the port 70 to the customer's appliances. Such a configuration allows work to be done on the gas meter 14 and/or for the gas meter to taken out of commission. Further benefits and configurations such as this will be will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0053] While the foregoing description includes many details and specificities, it is to be understood that these have been included for purposes of explanation only, and are not to be interpreted as limitations of the present invention. Many modifications to the embodiments described above can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0054] The present invention is not to be limited in scope by the specific embodiments described herein. Indeed, various modifications of the present invention, in addition to those described herein, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Thus, such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the following appended claims. Further, although the present invention has been described herein in the context of a particular implementation in a particular environment for a particular purpose, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that its usefulness is not limited thereto and that the present invention can be beneficially implemented in any number of environments for any number of purposes. Accordingly, the claims set forth below should be construed in view of the full breath and spirit of the present invention as disclosed herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A gas meter valve for use with a gas meter, the gas meter valve comprising: a valve inlet; a valve outlet; a valve body coupled to the valve inlet and a valve outlet, the valve body including: a chamber for communicating gas from the valve inlet to the valve outlet, and a valve assembly disposed at least partially in the chamber and adapted to: prevent the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a first position, and permit the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a second position; an actuating mechanism operably coupled to the valve assembly and adapted to position the valve assembly in the first position and the second position; and a port coupled to the valve body, wherein an interior of the port is in communication with the chamber.
 2. The gas meter valve of claim 1, wherein the interior of the port is in communication with the valve outlet when the valve assembly is in the first position.
 3. The gas meter valve of claim 1, wherein the interior of the port is in communication with the valve inlet when the valve assembly is in the first position.
 4. The gas meter valve of claim 1, wherein the valve inlet is coupleable to a meter outlet and adapted to communicate gas from the meter outlet, and the valve outlet is coupleable to piping for supplying gas to a customer and adapted to communicate gas to the piping.
 5. The gas meter valve of claim 1, further comprising: a plug, operable for positioning with the port.
 6. The gas meter valve of claim 1, wherein the actuating mechanism includes a keyed receptacle operable to receive a tool for manipulating a position of the actuating mechanism.
 7. The gas meter valve of claim 1, wherein the actuating mechanism includes a manually operable flange mounted on an exterior of the valve body.
 8. The gas meter valve of claim 1, wherein the valve inlet, valve outlet and valve body are arranged so as to replace an existing piping portion.
 9. The gas meter valve of claim 1, wherein a connection of the valve inlet to the valve body is substantially perpendicular to a connection of the valve outlet to the valve body.
 10. In a gas supply system comprising a gas meter, a method for providing access to an interior of a gas supply system, the method comprising: providing a gas meter valve comprising: a valve inlet; a valve outlet; a valve body coupled to the valve inlet and the valve outlet, the valve body including: a chamber for communicating gas from the valve inlet to the valve outlet, and a valve assembly disposed at least partially in the chamber and adapted to: prevent the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a first position, and permit the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a second position; an actuating mechanism operably coupled to the valve assembly and adapted to position the valve assembly in the first position and the second position; and a port coupled to the valve body, wherein an interior of the port is in communication with the chamber; positioning the valve in the first position; and connecting an external device to the port, wherein the external device is capable of accessing an interior of the gas supply system via the port.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: pressurizing at least a portion of the interior of the gas supply system utilizing the external device.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: measuring a drop of pressure to test for leaks in the at least a portion of the interior of the gas supply system.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the external device is a standup pressure testing device.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the pressurization is facilitated via utilization of a hand pump.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein pressurizing at least a portion of the interior of the gas supply system includes utilizing pressurized gas to provide gas to a customer.
 16. A gas supply system comprising: a gas meter having a meter inlet for receiving a gas supply and a meter outlet for providing the gas supply; and a gas meter valve coupled to the gas meter, the gas meter valve including: a valve inlet; a valve outlet; a valve body coupled to the valve inlet and the valve outlet, the valve body including: a chamber for communicating gas from the valve inlet to the valve outlet, and a valve assembly disposed at least partially in the chamber and adapted to: prevent the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a first position, and permit the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a second position; an actuating mechanism operably coupled to the valve assembly and adapted to position the valve assembly in the first position and the second position; and a port coupled to the valve body, wherein an interior of the port is in communication with the chamber.
 17. The gas meter supply system of claim 16, further comprising: a second gas meter valve coupled to the gas meter, the second gas meter valve including: a valve inlet; a valve outlet; a valve body coupled to the valve inlet and the valve outlet, the valve body including: a chamber for communicating gas from the valve inlet to the valve outlet, and a valve assembly disposed at least partially in the chamber and adapted to: prevent the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a first position, and permit the communication of gas through the chamber when the valve assembly is in a second position; and an actuating mechanism operably coupled to the valve assembly and adapted to position the valve assembly in the first position and the second position.
 18. The gas meter supply system of claim 17, wherein the gas meter valve is coupled to the meter outlet and the second gas meter valve is coupled to the meter inlet.
 19. The gas meter supply system of claim 17, wherein the gas meter valve is coupled to the meter inlet and the second gas meter valve is coupled to the meter outlet.
 20. The gas meter supply system of claim 17, wherein the second gas meter valve further includes: a port coupled to the valve body, wherein the interior of the port is in communication with the chamber. 